The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-27

thoughts. As l approached him
he gave me startling gaze as he looked
up | apologzed as best could for disturb
ing his reverie, acknowledging myself an
! American in quest Of information. HIS face
assumed quiet composure. | spoke OF the
grandeur OF the scenery tarough which we
were passing In a subdued voice, i'll hal
English and half French, he revealed to me
the burden of his thoughts He insisted
/ that the Rhine was the natural boundary
of France, and that the people over
these hills and in these verdant
! valleys We're grooming under the burdens OF
/ Germany, but that their day of deliVerauce
was at hand. Lifting his hand upward
with excitement, he exclaimed: las sure
| as that sun shines to-day. Lorraine and
Alsace will be avenged" Remembering
where he was, his vo ce lowered, aud, look
ing about him and seeing he was not OBJ
served, continued his excavations upo1 Ger
many and the Germans. | asked MIN If he
thought France was on equal footing with
Germany in case of war. With knowing
wave Of the hand he replied: I'VE are
ready; we have no fears of the issue" He
was called away by his more prudent wife
10 another part of the vessel.
REsUMING NY PROMENADE,
aud busy with the thoughts of the French
man, just as | had passed the pilots stand,
gong toward the forecastle, | was asked
by jolly looking German, in plain English,
the privilege of light, as | was smoking.
He seemed communicative and | was allX-
ious to hear the Otherslde, and soon found
the German ready 20 dete It his country.
The German army perhaps was never in
better fighting trim, never more eager to
meet the foe. Their confidence, born Of for-
Iner success in conflict with the French, is
,uch as they do not dream of defeat They
laugh III derision at the threats ard boasts
of their neighbors. This gentleman, who
was above ordinary intelligence and accom-
plishments, assured me that if the conflict
was forced upon them, it would be for the
uttel ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of the French nation.
Every fort would he disnanted OF gar3I
soned with German troops aud the
French army disbanded, and not Only
AlSace and Lorraine, but the whole
of France would lie made tribu-
tary to the German Empire. When /
laughed at what seemed TO me an inpOssi
bilIty, he retorted emphatically that the
thing was practicable, and nothing less
would compensate for the loss Of life and
treasure if this conflict was brought ON.
When | told him that England could not al
ford to allow such a disturbance of Euro
pean power he replied that England was
helpless, having more than She could do to
maintain her own existence, SO dispropor
tionate was her empire.
BOTH GERMANY AND FRANCE
are on war footing, and the feeling
between them is at the highest tension, and
it seemed even then, that they could not en-
dure the strain much longer. Both are con
fideut. AS | turned away | could not but
wonder how people could be so mistaken
and misled The occasion v as all that was
wanted for the explosion. When a few days
later ] heard OF the firing on the German
frontier and the wounding of the French
st. NJ deWangen, and the killing of Brig
non, his companion, | thought the hour
had come, but fortunately the day has been
deferred. But how longa
The day was fast waning, and it was near
Z o'clock when we came in sight Of Bingen,
so celebrated in song. 1t is town of some
1000 inhabitants. The Romans, when in
posse ssion, erected a castle here, and during
the middle ages it was a free town of the
empire The ruins of the old castle remain,
it having been destroyed by the French in
1859 We had but short time at this
point, and could not have learned much if we
had stayed longer, as we met no one who
spoke English 1t was now quite dark, 50
we left for Mayence, the point of rest,
eighteen miles distant which we reached
about 8 o'clock.
The darkness gave us time to compare
notes. All were agreed that it had been
one OF the most enjoyable days of our lives
And yet all were of the opinion that
America furnishes as beautiful scenery and
grander mountain heights than any we had
bcheld thai day. Still we would not have
returned home satist ID without this day on
the Rhine. st was a thing of beauty - and
consequently Will "be Il JOY forever
SAM LIE REVE.